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Major shake-up for UK singles releases

Two of the four major record labels in the UK have announced a change in the way they release singles in an attempt to beat piracy and boost falling sales. From February, Universal and Sony will make tracks available to purchase at the same time that they appear on radio, as opposed to the traditional preview period of up to six weeks.

It’s hoped that the move, inspired by the X-Factor model of instant release, will dissuade listeners from copying songs from radio broadcasts.

“What we were finding under the old system was the searches for songs on Google or iTunes were peaking two weeks before they actually became available to buy, meaning that the public was bored of – or had already pirated – new singles,” commented Universal Chief Executive David Joseph.